From the Archaeology News Network: Their exploits are more linked to the Northern Isles and the west coast of Scotland, with monastries raided, islanders murdered and gold and silver plundered. But new research – and a clutch of archaeological finds – has now suggested that the North East may not have escaped the fury of…
From Fox News: Goran Olsen was enjoying a leisurely hike recently in Norway when he stopped near the fishing village of Haukeli, about 150 miles west of Oslo. Under some rocks along a well-traversed path, he made a discovery that’s now the envy of every detectorist in Scandinavia: a 30-inch wrought-iron Viking sword, estimated to…
From Fox News: The skeletal remains of about 50 medieval individuals have been discovered in shallow graves near the pilgrimage site of a famous seventh-century saint in England. The human remains, which have been exhumed, may help archaeologists learn more about the medieval era, according to Archaeology Warwickshire, an archaeology and excavation firm. The company…
From weather.com: When a winter storm hit Ireland earlier this year, it brought more than just strong wind and snow. The storm uprooted a 215-year-old beech tree that had been covering up a stunning secret: the skeletal remains of a medieval young man, according to the Sligo-Leitrim Archaeological Services and Live Science. Read full article.
From Archaeology.org: SANDOMIERZ, POLAND—An early eleventh-century wooden chamber tomb containing the remains of an elite warrior has been unearthed in southwestern Poland. Science in Poland reports that archaeologists discovered a number of artifacts in the grave, including ceramic vessels, a silver ring, and an iron knife, among other objects. Read full story.
From the BBC: Rare and exciting” leather and wooden objects 700 years old have been found at an archaeological dig in Oxford. Experts uncovered 50 medieval leather shoes and a bag as well as a wooden bowl and timber posts at the Westgate Shopping Centre excavation. The objects which “tell us about everyday people” have…
Exeter Castle, also known as Rougemont Castle, was originally no more than a defensive city wall built by the Romans and later repaired by King Athelstan around 928 AD. After the Norman Conquest of England, the city of Exeter — like many other cities at this time — rebelled against William the Conqueror. In 1068, William…
Watch how suits of armor are constructed in this How It’s Made program, originally aired on the Discovery channel. How It’s Made – Suits of Armor Here is also an interesting article from the Scientific American on how medieval armor may have been more of a hindrance than a benefit on the battlefield: “Medieval Armor: Was…
I’ve recently been testing out Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited feature. Basically, you can keep as many books as you like from a catalog of over 800,000 titles. You pay a subscription fee of $9.99 per month, and you can download and keep any book you want. It reminds me of Netflix or Amazon Prime Video Service…
From the Jorvik Viking Center. A collection of quick, historical articles detailing the lives of the Norsemen. Subjects cover: Who were the Vikings? Where did they come from? What did they look like? How did they live? What happened to them? Place names Timeline Excerpt from “Who were the Vikings?” Often the name Viking conjures…
From Live Science: The Viking Age may not have started with the plundering of England, but with the peaceful trading of handcrafted combs made out of reindeer antlers, a new study suggests. Until now, researchers thought the Viking Age began in June 793, when Norwegian Vikings raided Lindisfarne, an island off the northeast coast of…
The Battle of Nations is an international medieval combat championship, where teams from various countries come together and compete in a full contact competition using actual weapons and a standardized set of rules. The first competition was held in 2009 or 2010 in the Ukraine. This year’s competition is held in Prague and runs from…
From AV Club: There has been a lot of exciting Star Wars news over the last few days, but this might be the most exciting thing yet: irrefutable proof that Yoda existed in medieval France. Julian Harrison, a curator for the British Library, made the shocking discovery—as reported by The Telegraph—when he was examining a…
From Fox News: Ghostly faces and lines of verse previously invisible to the naked eye have been uncovered in the oldest surviving medieval manuscript written entirely in Welsh. “The Black Book of Carmarthen,” dating to 1250, contains texts from the ninth through 12th centuries, including some of the earliest references to Arthur and Merlin. Read…
Here’s a quick grammar tip for today. You’ve probably wondered the rule behind when to use i.e. versus when to use e.g. Both i.e and e.g. are based in Latin. I.e.stands for id est, meaning “that is.” E.g. stands for exempli gratia, meaning “for example.” I was reading a good way to remember this, according to the Grammar…
